new year
new year, cleansing rain
wash away the pain
last year
wrought, begin again,
there’s nothing to gain
from tears
o’er the past, hope reigns
no fear
~kat
January 2021 Day One: The Lai is a French form. It's a nine-line poem or stanza that uses an "a" and "b" rhyme following this pattern: aabaabaab. The lines with an "a" rhyme use 5 syllables; the "b" rhyme lines have 2 syllables.
solstice 2020
darkest
night of winter
fair planets kiss, glowing
age of Aquarius dawning
solstice
~kat
A Garland Cinquain (2/4/6/8/2) fir this week’s Holiday Theme-Based Tanka Tuesday Challenge.
A look back at the last few weeks of verse by line. The nightmare is almost over. Four years of chaos is spiraling like a whirlwind. I suppose the most shocking thing for many of us is the number of people who voted for the chaos. America, we thought we knew you. Many of us believed, given the chance, you would choose decency, honesty and compassion over corruption, lies and hate. Those of us who declared, “this is not who we are” are learning that, for almost half of us, it is sadly who we are. Who they are. How we had hoped for reconciliation, for healing, for bridging the divide that has broken us. Half of us are okay with lawlessness, with separating children from their parents, locking them up like animals and throwing away the key, half of us are okay with racism, misogyny, white supremacy, isolating ourselves from the rest of the world, from our allies, aligning with dictators, our president turning a blind eye to a virus that is raging out of control, killing us by the thousands. It is shocking and heartbreaking to see the truth. The coming years will be challenging. And it may surprise you to know that I still have hope that we can do better…be better. It won’t be easy but at least for me, it means treating others with kindness. It is the least and the most that I can do. I hope you’ll join me.
Sunday’s ReVerse - 29 November 2020
innocence slipping away
fading away in waves
we shouldn’t be surprised at all
the forever greenness of our minds
when blood was thick and skin was deep
we pick and choose what to believe
but opinion can’t make it so
~kat
A ReVerse poem (a practice I started many years ago) is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week…or in this case, the past few weeks.
off the edge
the earth is not flat
opinion can’t make it so
life, death, and taxes
the sun rises and the sun sets
the moon’s face cycles new to full
we’re all bound by gravity’s pull
the truth is absolute and yet
it’s easy to forget and let
emotions cloud our fickle minds
you know it happens all the time
we pick and choose what to believe
it makes us easy to deceive
like silly sheep we follow blind
~kat
This week’s combo challenge inspired by Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Challenge, Prompt Words LIFE & VIEW (OPINION) and Décima Poetry Challenge, Prompt Word BLIND - C-Line Rhyme. A Décima is a ten line poem, eight syllables each line in the rhyme scheme: abbaaccddc. This week’s prompt word must be used at the end of one of the C lines with the other C lines rhyming.
Well…I waited a few weeks to have enough poems to do a proper ReVerse. I am not surprised at the twists and turns of each line and the ultimate hopeful tone.
The truth is, things are pretty chaotic right now with the pandemic raging out of control and our current President acting badly, lying, stirring his sycophants into rage and denial of reality. But oh…reality! It holds a spark of hope.
In the not too distant future we have a chance to get things right. We have a chance to move past the nightmare of the last few years and dare I say it…to dream again. Maybe even realize a few of those dreams…justice, equality, opportunity for all, restoration for our planet, mended relationships with our allies, accountability for those with hostile intentions, foreign and domestic. Not to mention the cracks in the glass ceiling more pronounced than ever…a woman vice-president for American girls, and especially girls of color to aspire to. The future holds a lot of promise and could be a reality if we nurture it and tend it. If we believe.
The last poem I wrote before today was inspired by a Celtic tradition, “telling the bees”, practiced by bee-keepers over the ages. It is customary to keep the bees in the loop especially in the wake of important news…births, deaths, marriage, and in this case, in my case the results of our recent election and the coming inauguration of our new “bee-keeper”. This is very important news indeed for the bees to know. Bees are a sensitive lot, messengers between us the the spiritual realm. The slightest thing can upset them, causing them to flee the hive, stop producing honey or worse, perish. Telling the bees keeps things in balance and sets the stage for good fortune.
I was sitting outside reading and rereading this poem aloud tweaking it here and there. To my surprise a honey bee showed up and landed on my hand. And stupid me…reflexively I shooed it away until I came to my senses and realized what I had just done. I called out to that little bee, and apologized for my rudeness and would you believe, it came back alighted on my hand once more. For a few seconds we shared a moment, the bee and me. It was magical. And believe me…it is true. Cross my heart, I’m not making this up.
Now I don’t know if you believe in this sort of thing, but I’m going to take that moment as a sign that my little friend heard me. That good fortune is on its way. And because of that I am feeling more hopeful than I have in quite a long while.
Here’s to a new week. To new beginnings. To life and health. To truth and compassion. To healing and justice. Namasté.
____________________________________________
Sunday’s ReVerse – 15 November 2020
their slow sad voices repeating
it’s the trees
clouds drench the hollow
we have a voice in what’s at stake
the cold air is thin
but it will all be over soon
we can cling to the promise of spring
the dawn is coming
we trust our higher angels
to mend our brokenness, to reach
to fill our honey jars of clay
~kat
____________________________________________
A ReVerse poem (a practice I started many years ago) is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week (or in this case a review from several weeks’ poems).
